Behind the scenes with ultra trail running legend Jim Walmsley | PREPARATIONS for Chamonix

we're here in the incredible Shaman Valley in our janer and we're heading now to the huler athlete training camp pre UTMB to catch up with Jim Warmsley and talk about the hoker tekon X3 and look back on UTMB 2023 it's going to be a great day can't wait come and join [Music] [Applause] [Music] us I think we're in the right place definitely in the right [Music] place hey Jim good to see you again man see you too how's it going yeah really good thanks you ready to go yeah yeah let me grab my bag and we'll head out [Music] so I mean it's been 12 months almost hasn't it in fact it's been longer than 12 months since we first saw that prototype that you had uh I was first wearing them in 2022 wow so so two years and then the one that we saw last year was the prototype for this so how much has it changed or the first prototypes I mean cuz I wore orange white version that's at the Chalet uh in madira 2022 but then at UTMB the shoe looked really really similar already to this one that it looked really similar to 2023 as well so 2022 UTMB in 2023 was pretty similar what are the big changes from like the ton X2 you think compared to this now obviously part from the gater that's a nice feature isn't it I mean both have the Matrix they have a bit of the elastic in the front so you can kind of secure it down a bit yeah they've gone with a really stretchy uh I think it's a bit easier to slip my foot into the production one this one than the Prototype the prototype's quite difficult to slip in and I was like oh yeah no one will ever like this but they've they've adopted it to to work better for everyone so the upper is definitely a big extreme difference the gator in it keeps everything out it's pretty sweet that height I don't know what they've done I don't know the durometer on this one so I've been really in tune with choosing the durometers in the Prototype so generally we go with a little softer drometer on top a little firmer on the bottom that gives it a really plush ride something a bit more responsive still feeling when you're actually running it that's a carbon play as well in the middle of yeah they they're showing off the carbon plate in there uh nice nice little weave pattern going in on it it's obviously a much wider plate than I've been in and I think they they I say the shoe I've been in is kind of a wild ride and uh so I think they've done a lot to try to stabilize the shoe and they'll do that mostly with plate shape and that will be like the production team kind of deciding on what's best for that so I I don't know what the plate exactly looks like in inside of this I guessing it's Fox though cuz like you know for stability they're still parallel plates so same thing and I think uh having like the the shoe being able to actually twist a bit while you're running on the trail I think has been really really important in my testing process cuz I've had other plate options and say full plate is a noo on the trails but yeah that's been my experience and then also with the Prototype like I've been shredding the bottom so the the bottom of the vbr was identical to the tectonic 2 and and the original um however when we change to this pea based foam it can lose just chunks with more exposure towards the foam so here you've seen them uh wrap it completely around the edge I really like that they brought it up just a little bit of a lip yeah on the inside the outside I think is more for looks and maybe to match it I don't think it's as necessary but the inside I think is really useful just because when you're in more Alpine terrain you kind of LIF up on rocks and stuff so that's where I've seen some shredding with the shoes I think like the rubber is going to be the best protection to making it really a mountain shoe and holding up in good weather I think it's really versatile LS it's not going to work for like complete utter mud but not a lot does unless you just switch to an extreme lug shoe true um so we we find this to be like kind of similar to the speo grip that is really well balanced really confidence inspiring and sticks to just about everything that's reasonable I mean I've I've gotten run in this a bit not as much as the Prototype but uh it's still super plush really it's it comes in maybe 30 to 40 G more than the Prototype I have uh a lot of that being with the beef up so to make it just a more durable product still feels like light though you know for like what essentially looks like a really big chunky shoe it's like quite light isn't it yeah I have the C the cardboard in here still so yeah if you're wondering as well I just I just car these around with me like I didn't got them wherever I go I just I just bring the Tex next to you never know de I'm pretty excited for people to experience this one cuz the new foam and how plush it is like it's going to blow people's mind and and I don't think the stack height needs to be increasing increasing increasing like the foam really soaks up so much and it just makes it a really comfortable shoe I think like you you'll see it as an all day comfy shoe it's built for distance though this isn't it like this this would you say is like your perfect kind of ultra distance tril and I think at first like the tekon was kind of had a bit more of a lens for for a bit more gravel and you see from the tekon X2 to this one of how they've beefed it up more to be an all day Mountain shoe yeah um you're not getting rocks in it you're you're taking it you're beating up the sole and then it's super plush and comfortable but yet when you want to run something flat with the parallel plates like it's going to feel responsive and take off and how's how's this fit into your like current rotation I know that's something we talked about before like you must go through a few shoes yeah like right now it the tanx is my rotation the only time it kind of gets subbed out is like subing proper on the roads or kind of doing a segment like uphill segment yeah I'll switch to a Zen now yeah like for the VK here we can see out here that's that's Z Now territory isn't it this year yeah but if you take the lift down but if you have to run down then you might as well take this thing that's true and that's the path by the way down there I was mentioning you know the zigzags that's the better way down big bit bit bigger me and Danny went down that last year so we we sort of VK to the top we were going to get the lift back down but the lift stopped running so we had no choice so a few paragliders out today I mean those views behind are [Music] amazing most to this Valley I haven't explored no just kind of doing the route when you come you focused on like where the the route I usually just like skip the shanese side of things I don't do the beginning first 10K I never practice that going back to UTMB last year I mean what an incredible moment but before we get to the Finish like we were obviously tracking it the world was watching you you looked so strong at the beginning and then there was A Moment Like where Zach came into the lead like how were you feeling at that point cuz I think you had a bit of a low patch did you kind of like during the race yeah I don't know what happened like so I climbed up really well yeah I think it's Bruton uh yeah climbed up to Breton I I know I put like one of the faster times that I've ever done up that climb just hiking really smooth strong um and I think in retrospect like looking back at the data I put in 3 minutes and his act just on that climb wow and it's like a 50 like maybe I did 50 and he did 54 probably only kilan and I at the front are really able to put in such a smooth like attack on an uphill and I've been with Killian on that climb I've been with Fran on that climb lots of Champions and many times now but I I think Killian has a similar skill I'm able to do a bit of that but then surprisingly like you hit the flat balcony Trail and uh I was dead when I hit the flat um and things were just met like just muddling along the gas wasn't there um I'm not sure why uh but then that's where just Zach was moving EXT like way faster so he caught back up passed and was even the past was just yeah oh I'm not going with that I I think he's pushing but in retrospect again too I thought the split from brone to arua I was maybe 2 3 minutes slower than what I would have liked and I was like I'm not running that bad and it went so Zach was running that fast so yeah I see it's more him like pushing that point I mean I think him he ran really good I don't know exactly his time but I think Matthew Bard has ran really fast on that section in 2022 as well how how does that affect you mentally though like did you just think because of your experience like do you know what don't panic I've got this like it could be Zach just having a good moment me and a bad patch and things will come good or will you thinking oh my God like like I'm done or like I mean up till last year my best results at UTMB were a fifth place a fourth place and then two dnfs so there's still a lot to win in the race so whether Zach's having his day and PS ahead and wins the race and runs away like you can't always control someone else's day like that it was a wakeup call of like w i mean he doesn't look any better than how I feel like I I surely I can go with him and this and that so it was a wake up in the moment and then the opportunity to switch from like night warmer gear to lightening up the pack as much as possible for the day running not as big of a headlight and stuff what was the the kind of like moment when you thought actually I feel all right or did you kind of just grind it out and then it it just came slowly because there was obviously that point where you went past Zach and wow I mean you went past him pretty fast like you were it was almost like a TD FRS pass wasn't it where you went and you just gone and from that moment he was no looking back but did you just suddenly get a moment where you thought actually I feel okay it was trying to catch back up to zman and the the flat asphalt out of champak and like just catching up with him and then feeling good enough and like all right let's throw it like let's test him back and then all of a sudden like the legs were moving great the stride was back I had a gap and then it's like all right let's keep going and then kind of knew like we were 10ish minutes back but rather quickly over 3 4 miles uh you hear the Gap might be coming back it's very interesting like a lot of times in races I'm out ahead and you have no idea what's happening but being in just a position or two back you get maybe not accurate information but you get information that sometimes can be hopeful to keep chasing keep hunting and like being a bit interesting so I started looking for him really far out and I actually spotted him one time and so I took a split I mean it was a big switch back where I did see him but I saw him and I'm like he's there like that someone said it was 4 minutes and then I checked and like took a split and I think it reduced even more than four like it was under 4 minutes the catch how did that feel when he when you got Zach like did you just think right I'm going past him I felt like he still wanted to run very I mean the trail was not quite a double track it was a wide single track but um it felt like he was running a bit more in the middle and like wanting to fight and hold me off a bit and I think I just decided not today and I went like up on the burm a bit to pass and kind of it's an ultra race like how do you throw an attack and it's like well actually this is how you throw an attack and I think it was a bit of a mental blow because at least it felt like a mental Victory on my side I have no idea what he's going through and like he's probably like he's an idiot yeah yeah yeah yeah it'd be interesting to like know Zach's take maybe next time I see him I'll ask him yeah moving forward I I think also like thinking Zach must have been fading but then in retrospect again it's like Zach ran really strong all the way through his splits were there's no reason that he couldn't or shouldn't have won per se other than like somehow I just kind of caught fire at the end of the race and and like found really really good legs and kind of goes to like wow I hope I can kind of Catch Fire like that at the end of any race because uh I think for anyone like how do you beat that and and even me I don't take it for granted but like like it seems insane and incredible that I can just flip a switch and like it's race time but UTMB I would say is the only time that like it's really been a switch flick and like game on legs feel different gas is there where we're racing but then uh Western States was kind of another scenario like this and had a similar like coming up on Rod like do I sit or pass and it just went straight into instinct to pass immediately and uh it feels quite similar and it's kind of maybe drawing some confidence that maybe uh I'm quite dangerous late into an ultra now yeah that's a nice weapon to have isn't it at that stage of a race yeah we'll see like I don't feel that confident that it will always be there but when it happens I know it can be there so far I think uh anyone else who's really caught fire I think with like extremely fast splits it's generally been further back in the top 10 that you see someone just like waa look how fast I ran but at the same time they the race got away from them somewhere else so to do it at the front is interesting so last year you coming into Shaman you you know at this point you've you've got the the win you you you sort of think actually an nowac can finish I know that he's always got a Sprint in him at the end you always there was enough confidence that valer scene I was moving good enough there was even like the discussion with France W France W crewed me at that like he really was motivated to do and uh I think for Jess she had to because I mean it's been kind of J in M's like teamwork to to do everything and she's been clearing me at every aid station I had to kind of talk with her to Fran Albert would be really motivated to do this and it was a really special moment we had and like I mean he's one of my best friends so it's cool to see him there but also him going like easy easy easy like don't it and like no no no I got this it was nice having that moment in bisin because the year before you'd had that moment with Jess where we saw the vulnerability and the fact that you had that moment with the way you said like I don't know if I can hold them off and like when when I yeah exactly so like that it's two different things yeah and do you know when when you watch the film and when we've spoke about it before like I just really felt for you in that first moment actually and then you've got that next moment and it's almost like um a movie script isn't it like You' you've come back you've done it and done it in style and then it makes me not want to do the race again like it's perfect ending like and that was actually not life though that's not life was going to be our next question as well like how do you then get motivated again for this year knowing that you've you've done it you've You've Won it in style you've got the record like is it a different approach this year is it more relaxed approach because there's no pressure to well obviously you always put pressure on yourself to win but not as running running 1937 was accidental and that like it just happened so it wasn't something that I set out but now like similar to Western States like there's no pressure for me to go make the time happen so that puts me in better strategic oh yeah it's all like self-imposed but um there's good strategy with not pressing the pace at the front as much I can keep the race honest and keep it fast enough but it's not on me to to break 19 or something like but you back this year you yeah it's UTMB that's motivating enough like when when you talk about Ultra Trail yeah CMV like how do you avoid doing this race like it's the biggest race in the world of what we do and As Americans like we have have ring States it's it's really important and like I like each win is super crazy but uh you so on an international scale like it's the one isn't it it's the one so it doesn't matter if it's your first win or you're going for your second like it's super important you're really up for this year I mean could you could you see yourself going on to to win or is there a motivation to kind of get the most UTMB wins or are you just kind of taking it one one year at a time it's one at a time I mean uh right now and at least the side it's up to four between Francois and Killian yeah I mean they're still I don't know one's one's pretty sweet I don't know I'm still young so it's like why not more but uh it's It's Tricky double so doing Western State UTMB this year like it's already thrown me a big curve with just not rebounding how I would have liked to after Washington state things are coming back slower um yeah still have like inflammation in my knee that's being a problem and pretty stubborn so but at the same time like I've never been patient enough when it has come back and I've done a bit too much I think and not been fresh enough for the race in the past when I've done the two so yeah you always got to try to manipulate the situation to be a positive and uh yeah perhaps this is just enough to be patient and actually fresh enough to be quite dangerous to pull off a really good double I've never finished both races in the same year I still feel quite beat up at you I'm I'm still bitter about UTMB okay I got it one year but like I've gotten my butt kicked so many times like I owe you more than just one like you're going to give it hell out I have more punishment to dish out but at the same time I wish I was uh standing on a little sturdier ground to to dig in towards UTMB then yeah it's not been the best turnaround but uh yeah you you take what you're giving and uh it's always about threading the needle with the cards you have and uh still possible I think right now just going on to train now what does an easy run look like for you typically like if it's easy run from the house it'll be 8 Miles 1,000 M take about an hour and a half I would say that that that's like minimum that I need to get in on the board per day I'll start with hiking back try to get in more volume but lower intensity by keeping it mostly hiking and feeling how my body is responding trying to increase volume quite quickly and then this year I think I'll take training quite close to the race yeah the block will just kind of go right up to or into race week I think um it'll be a small block and it's more about Sensations feeling the right flow strength making sure that my muscles are kind of primed enough to take on the load of 10,000 M obviously it's been a little bit different this year to previous years because you did western states and he trying to do UTB in the same year so you know now you're saying you're just coming back from a little bit of a niggle with the knee You're Building back up that that training has to be different doesn't it between the two races yeah yeah makes it completely its own unique year and it's like yet to be determined how it does play out 2018 disaster dnf 2021 uh not so bad but dnf uh yeah and just feeling totally flat it's not going how I want I need to focus I mean that was like really 2021 was the Catalyst for finally like screw it we're going to France like we're we're just going to control the variables that we can control and focus on this race and yeah I mean immediately took really big steps forward towards like my own progression towards UTMB by being out here in this environment in the the Alps and and with French athletes that have this race dialed uh it was a good call I think I learned a lot and progressed a lot as a Ultra Runner so yeah it's good process but we'll see like how much I remember now actually in your film you talked about um home being a place that you put all your energy your time and your emotion into would you would you class France as your home now like or would you do you still feel like you know you're going to go back to I mean would you see yourself living here all the time or would you go back to the US I mean um I think we're kind of in a torn situation maybe almost even feel like not quite like we have a home or like is the answer can we have multiple homes I think that's maybe what we would associate most with but um I think at times when we're in France we miss home of Flagstaff when we're in Flagstaff for sure I'm missing home here like I I really like it here and feel um being in such a extreme outdoor environment like stimulates me a lot that is quite satisfying just as a human so I like digging into trying to make the Alps home and in France and uh actually even like coming back at the French is feeling it's feeling okay like I I need to keep progressing and like probably that's what I'm most excited about is progressing with the language because I think I'll be able to connect so much more with many of the people that we've known but not like connected with through like actually communicating it's just like friendliness yeah or a warmth between people but um not as much of a cultural connection and understanding where I think that's going to be just really special to progress enough to do more and more of that and Jess is coming around to that way of life is year here slowly yeah I think even like um I think sometimes when she's refle when she was reflecting FL she was a bit frustrated with some of the ah it's so hard to find like a good rental house where we want and I'm like w like you can't just have it appear and this and that like is what it is but uh then she comes back and she's just like it's pretty sweet it's nice yeah I mean you're in a nice quiet spot as well aren you like you like being up in the mountains like minim well I say minimal interaction with people it's nice being being immersed in your environment seeing obviously the community but not being in the business of Shaman for example like I mean as I've gotten older I don't relate as much with uh being in the city but at the same time like City Life is also quite interesting and there's always something going on but as long as you have your spot still etched out to to relax then perhaps that's very possible but for us I think uh being a little more removed uh yeah is quite nice and just that comparison between um back home and Flagstaff to here in France and let's we've talked about you know the cultural differences but in terms of the running and the trails for you know the benefit of our viewers like how how does that compare and you know you can probably draw on training for Western States compared to UTMB they're very different out there that was something you had to get used to and and I suppose learn and train differently ready for UTMB for example so there's a big difference between the trails isn't that every day how I head out to go do a run is just different so in the Ops it's pack poles rain jacket two bottles food it's a full loaded system um and you get familiar with everything and the US and Flagstaff and many places I mean not everywhere's big mountains so uh if anything you take a belt a handheld or nothing and and you just go for your run like it's easy for me in Flagstaff to go for a 10 mile run takes uh depending on the route like hour to hour and a half at at most or or like I can do climbs but then there short Punchy climbs comparatively uh more powerful uh and then it's a lot more dry in Flag Staff so not as much water um so you got to plan ahead if you're going to do longer stuff especially in the summer and like that even kind of pushes us out of Flag Staff a bit to do the ultra Trail uh in flag because the water's an issue so it becomes like going more to Colorado then Colorado will be a bit more similar to here and kind of even sparking some of that initial interest of like well this whole Mountain style and you see like the Europeans come to the states and so attracted to Hard Rock cuz it's oh this is my style and like yeah but it's somewhere else in the world but uh yeah so you see the similarity in big mountains in Colorado but um still for us like I I camp when I'm out in Colorado in a tent or I have a rooftop tent so it's not being set up in a in a house and making coffee in a warm place per se so uh it's it's different um even for Americans going out there like generally we're we're getting to more remote areas with not as many people and stuff but uh yeah it it's pretty night and day difference between the just the day-to-day run what's the plan going into the future for you or did you just kind of take it one race at a time or season by season you got guess there's been a lot of reflection since winning UTMB last year and so many people just being like well like you like solve the the other big big puzzle of like it's been challenging challenging and now you've done it so the more I reflect the more it's just kind of like well Western States and UTMB are worthy to keep chasing especially while you can compete for a win so that window won't last forever so it just goes to when you kind of build your career I think those are two races that I want to count so yeah I'm starting to keep track of between the two I think have to do a count between the two because I have more Western State swins than say Killian so uh but if you start averaging the two then all of a sudden maybe it becomes kind of an interesting comparison just want to say like how beautiful it's been to take in the views reflect on UTMB talk about the shoes and yeah wish you the best of luck for the race this year because we're going to be all rooting for you like it's nice to have that connection as well now hopefully we can have afterwards again and look about third I'm really excited cuz I think uh the tectonics 3 is now going to get released out into the world and uh I'm just as curious as anyone to see the feedback on it cuz I I feel connected to the shoe and uh yeah I hope people are pretty pretty excited about it a bit Yeah so I mean it's definitely twisted and and more from some of the ideas I put in but I can see exactly the trickle down of the work I've done with the shoe so yeah I feel attached to it so I yeah I hope everyone think it's pretty sweet as well going to be the shoe of choice for this year e so we'll see you in this at UTMB this year and yeah best of luck Jim CU yeah we're all rooting for you so hope you have a great a great one man thanks man nice one appreciate it remember guys if you enjoyed watching this content then please subscribe to our YouTube channel sports.com [Music]